Week 6: Living Simply

One of the tenets of Mercy Volunteer Corps, of which I am a part, is living simply. I'm sure some of you are at least curious about what exactly this means and how it plays out in my day to day life, so I'm going to give you some insight into how that works and what it means for us. Keep in mind, this is in no way a list of complaints, but insight and explanation.

My two roommates and I live in a house that we do not pay rent for (praise). It's owned by the Sisters of Mercy of Cincinnati and they take care of the bills and everything else pertaining to the house (repairs, etc.) However, they'd been living there since the 50's (they now live next door) so most of the appliances, furniture, and décor were probably last updated in the 70's or 80's. Our T.V. is a small black box and sometimes if the picture is really dark it kind of turns into a black screen. The other day Beth and I were having a Harry Potter marathon and at one point we couldn't actually see what we were watching anymore. Lol. My bedroom basically has a twin bed, desk, dresser, and nightstand that were all donated and don't match and my shower has about enough room to extend my elbow six inches.

There are three of us MVC's living together in the house but we have two cars. The cars are provided to us from the Sisters. One is pretty new (like at least 2000's) but the other one is not and kind of has a nerve-inducing habit of not accelerating quickly enough when you need it to. Because I work the closest to our house, I walk to and from work every day. For the most part I've enjoyed this, but I'm kind of ruining some of my shoes and my feet hurt a lot. I've been trying to figure out what kinds of shoes to buy that work for walking two miles but also are business casual. I don't really want to have to carry another bag for a change of shoes along with my purse and lunch pail and umbrella (Cincinnati weather is unpredictable), and no word yet on how this is going to work once winter weather hits. If I want to go anywhere outside of work I have to wait for one of the others to be back and run use of the car by everyone. Side note: I have many comments to offer on how people who pass each other on the street basically ignore one another. I don't like it.

I don't get paid for my work, though it is full time, but I receive a stipend. $180 goes into our community fund for groceries, household supplies, gas, etc. I receive another $100 that is my own personal money, but because I still have three bills that I pay monthly while I'm here (phone, credit card, storage unit) I don't really see that money. The stipend is enough for one bill and the rest I pay out of my savings. Because of this I've made a promise to not buy anything unless it's something that breaks or runs out. This means there are a lot of things I had to give up, or everything, really. Spin class, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, eating out, shopping trips, buying books, even buying groceries that are "luxury" items like creamer, avocados, and almond milk. I haven't had sushi in over a month and y'all know how much I love sushi.

I'd also say that pretty much half of my belongings I left in California, since we could only bring two suitcases with us when we joined MVC. All of my knick-knacks and room décor I left at home, so my room here is pretty bare. I didn't take any of my books except a bible, devotional, and Anne of the Island. That was hard. Half of my clothes and shoes I left, and I'm trying to make do with the favorites that I chose and not buy anything new unless something I wear rips or gets too worn down. I didn't bring all of my makeup or nice fun girly stuff like scrubs and nail polish and candles. If I didn't bring it I'm trying not to buy it. I also haven't worn a full face of makeup since a month ago. It's too humid and I'm trying to make it last.

All in all I'm not sure how this seems to you, but when added together it's something different for someone who's used to living comfortably and getting mostly what she wants when she wants it. Part of the mission of MVC is living in solidarity with the people we serve, and if that means I have to walk to and from work every day for year and never stop in that cute little coffee shop I pass on Woodburn every morning, then I do it with a spirit of joyful sacrifice. I'm trying to put my focus on other things, like the people I encounter, new activities to pass the time, being grateful for what I do have and what I can do on my own, and saving as much money as I can. We constantly rely on the generosity of other people for fun extras and even for some things that we need. We were able to go out to ice cream a few weeks ago because someone gave us a gift card, and we have had the opportunity to see the Cincinnati Reds and the symphony because we received tickets. I can definitely say that my sense of gratitude has increased tenfold in the short month and a half that I've been in MVC.

So far, simplifying my life and denying myself in these little ways have only contributed to my greater overall joy. I appreciate the things that I have more, and I'm breaking my reliance on things that I never really needed. It's helped me to better understand those whose life is anything like this by necessity, not choice. Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned since committing to this lifestyle is that the more you consciously give up in faith, the greater room you make for the Lord to be generous in other ways, and He will not be outdone.